Mouthpiece wiper for metal pots of typographical casting machines



' Aug. 21, 1945. J. c. PL'AjSTARAS 2,383,160

MOUTHPIECE WIPER FQR METAL POTS TYPQGRAPHICAL QASI'ING MACHINES Filed nc. 21, 194:5 3 Sheets-Shegt 1 K13 J52 1514 O 9 A INVENTOR I r V y E vAITORNEY;

Aug. 21, 1945. J. c PLASTARAS MOUTHPIECE WIPE R FOR METAL POTS bFTYPOGRAPHIIECAL CASTING MACHIQES :5 sh cs-sheet 2 Filed Dec 21, 1943 INVENTOR 1945- J. c. PLAsTARAs 2,383,160

MOUTHPIECE WIPER FOR METAL POTS OF TYPOGRAPHICAL CASTING MACHINES Filed Dec. 21, 1945 s Shets-Sheet s I i 2 6 INVENTOR.

in Fig. 1, omitting the Patented Aug. 21, 1945 MOUTHPI'EGE'EWIPER FOR1METAL POTS OF TYPOGRAPHICAL; CASTING MACHINES ames .C'. Plastaras, Laurelton, ,N. Y., assignortor Mergenthaler Linotype Company, a corporation of- NewYork Original application Augusb' -27, 1941, Serial No;

21, 1943,,SerialNo. 515,084.;

408,456. Divided and this applicationDeoember Claims.- This, application is a true division. of application Serial No. 408,456, filed August, 27, 194l,

which in turn is a, continuation in part of application Serial Noj 269,833, filed April 25, ,1939, (now Patent No. 2,266,072,gran,ted December 16;"

These prior applications relate to typographical. casting machines, whereina'meltingpot or so-calledfmetal pot is arranged to deliver molten metal into a slotted mold and up; against. a composed line of matrices to produce atype bar or slug bearing. onits edge type characters-- corresponding to theintaglio characters-of the matrices.

The instant application isdirectedto an improved -formof metal-potmouthpiece wiper which is adapted to clean the mold engagingsurfaces of the mouthpiece just before the latter engages the mold for the casing operation and which comprises a wiping-element'mounted -to yield relatively to its support toavoid "interference with the mold carrier when in casting posi-' tion. These and other improvements will be fully described in the detailed description -toiollow. a

In the accompanying drawings the invention-u has been shown merely by way of example and in preferred formjbut obviously manyvariations and modifications may be made-thereinand inits mode of operation which will still be com prised within its spirit. It is *to be understood; therefore, that the invention is not limited 'toany specific form or embodiment except insofar as such limitations are specified in theiappended-1 claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, as viewed =from azposition at one side of the machine; showingrpthe. metal pot and the mouthpiece wiper in their;nor-.

mal position;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective viewqoflthe U wiper, showing more detailsof the construction; 1

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the. parts-shown, 1:

mold and :the line ,trans porter; and

Fig. l is a top plan view of thepartspshown-in Fig. 3 or as shown in Fig. 1, omittin thetmoldq and the line transporter.

Referring to Fig. 1, a line of. matrices ;M;.is pro sented to the face of a slotted m.old.;A .by'a vertir-t cally movable transporter: or. first.- elevatonT,

The mold A is supportedin a .holder- Atwhich is movable forwardly andwrearwardly 1. into. and, out of contact with the composedjine before and after casting.

i A metalpot 0, mounted on. carriage K- sup? ported in themmachine frame E,,is adapted for.

fore-and-aft movement into and-out of contact With thetmold, A when the latter is in. casting 5,. position At its four corners, the carriage K is equipped with rollers k. which. ride on rails formed-why; channel members e of the machine frame. effected-by a cam D? in cooperation with a seehis 0nd cam D [both cams being fixed to. the main adapted-toweceivea roller k journalled in the end of--a short arm K of awbell-crank lever K pivoted on themachine frame A long arm K isconnected atone end'of a, toggle linkKi having its opposite end connected :to a lug at-the rear of the metal pot. O. The lever K is pivotally :,connected at thefront end of abolt K which extends through an'opening in a fixed, block- K8 andisheld by a nut threaded on the end of said bolt. The arm K of the bell-crank lever- K is connected to the rod K bymeans of a link K having; spaced arms which present at their upper endsa collar K encircling the rod K and actgas an abutment-fora relief spring K which reacts .between; the-collar and a pair of adjusting; 1ock-nutsK threaded. on thevrodat its lower Q=iend., Jan-adjustable wedge-shaped element K located; between the block K (through which the bolt:K extends) anda. shoulder K presented by thetbolt K", permits the locating of the pivot.

.point of. the bell-crank lever-K? in a position to insurea proper lockup between themetal-pot mouthpiece O and the rear face of the mold, on theone hand, and between-the front. face of the moldandthe composed line, on the other hand. Forthis purpose, the wedge shaped eleumentK is formed with arms k whichstraddle thelblock K vertically andicarry each anadjust ing screw 10', adapted to engage the top and bottorn: surface. ofthe-blockh When the. bolt K' 'is loosened;.by turning the-screws k in one direction zorzthe other, the wedge-shaped elementK can be;moved.,up or down, as the case may be; i and ,when the bolt is tightened thereafter, it will occupy a different fore-and-aft position and thus relocate thepivot point :for the lever K Theimproved mouthpiece wiping mechanism comprisesa wiping element Q mounted at the forward endsof a ,pair of arms Q and Q arranged onopposite. sides of the metal pot O and pivoted at, their rear ends inforwardlyextendinggarms .q and q? of a bracket Q? arrangedat Thereciprocation of'the. metal pot is shaft-D and providing between them a trackway.

of the lever is connected to; a rod K to one armof. a bell-crank lever K the other arm of which the rear of the metal pot. Near its rear end, the arm Q is formed with a depending lug q provided with a, laterally extending pin 11 to which one end of a tension spring Q is fastened, the opposite end of the spring being secured to a pin q projecting from the bracket Q The spring Q is adapted to rock the arms rear edge of the respective side plate q Q and Q to the dotted line position shown in a Fig. l to carry the wiping element Q downwardly across the face of the mouthpiece The action of the spring Q however, normally is constrained by the engagement of a roller (1 on the arm Q with the horizontal top surface of a head portion q of a vertical slide bar Q arranged in a guideway ie (Fig. 4) formed in an upward extension E of the frame E (see also Fig. 3), being removably held in the guideway e by a cover plate e. The head q" of the slide bar Q is long enough to permit the fore-and- I aft movement of the wiping mechanism along withthe metal pot O and still have the roller q remain in contact with it. The lower end of the slide bar Q rests on the top surface of a horizontal arm q of a lever Q pivoted to the frame E and having a vertical arm q equipped with an anti-friction roller (1 at its lower end adapted to track on the edge of a cam D fixed to the cam shaft D. The cam D is so formed that, at the proper time, the roller q will ride into a depression d5 therein and the spring Q will exercise itself to rock the arms Q and Q to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1, forcing the slide bar Q downwardly as indicated by the dotted lines in said figure and moving the This action is momenwiping element Q downwardly across the face of the mouthpiece O tary and thereafter the roller q rides up out of the depression d in the cam D and lifts the slide bar Q against the tension of the spring Q back to its upper full line position, thereby moving the wiping element Q upwardly across the mouthpiece O and restoring it to its upper position. I

The wiping element Q is resiliently mounted on the arms Q and Q for the two-fold purpose of providing for a yielding pressure as the wiping element Q moves over the face of the mouthpiece 0 and of enabling the wiping element to be supported rearwardly out of its wiping positionwhen not in use so as to avoid interference of its supporting means with other parts of the machine during the wiping operation, as would be the case if the arms Q and Q were extended farther toward the front of the machine. The

arms Q and Q are rigidly spaced apartby the tubular bar Q set back a short distance from the forward ends of the arms. In advance of the bar Q a plate Q, to which the wiping element Q is attached by screws q is pivotally mounted by means of pins q projecting from opposite ends thereof and extending through apertures in a pair of side plates q secured one to the end of each of the arms Q and Q The side plates q are pivoted at the outer side edges of the arms Q and Q on screws q and held against stops (1 by tension springs 11 being free to rock clockwise (Fig. 1) whenever the action of the springs q is overcome. This is a safety feature to prevent damage to the parts in case some obstruction should be accidentally placed in the path of movement of the wiping element Q in its downward"'movement which would tend to force the wiping element rearwardly. The yielding wiping pressure is afforded by a pair of tension springs q each secured at one end to the rear face of the plate Q and at its opposite end to an ear (1 at the The springs q" hold the plate Q rearwardly against the front edges of the side plates q ,but allow it to swing forward as the wiping element Q moves over the face of the mouthpiece O during its wiping movement. i 1

' At the time the line of matrices M is located in casting position, the parts occupy the' position shown in Fig. l,- with the line of matrices M, the mold A and the pot mouthpiece O in horizontal fore-and-aft spaced apart relation. With these parts in such position at the start of the casting cycle, as the main cam shaft D commences its rotation (in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3) the mouthpiece wiping opera.- tion is effected by the roller (1 riding into and out of the depression d in the cam D to cause the wiping element Q to be moved quickly down over the mold engaging face of the mouthpiece O and back to its original position. The wiping operation is thus performed just in advance of the slug casting operation and the wiper remains at rest until the next casting cycle takes place. In the meantime, the operating connections for the wiper are maintained notwithstanding the mounting of the wiper on the metal pot which must be moved to and fro before and after casting. As before explained, during such to andfro movements of the metal pot the roller q on the wiper arm Q rolls along the horizontal top surface of the head portion q of the vertical slide bar Q which latter is at the time held in its uppermost position by the arm q of the cam actuated lever Q Having thus described my claim is:

1. In atypographical casting machine, the com bination of a metal pot having 'a mold engaging mouthpiece, and mouthpiece wiping mechanism comprising a carrier, side plates journalled thereto for rocking movement, means to limit the rocking movement of the side plates, a wiping element journalled at its opposite ends in the side plates, stop means on the side plates to determine the normal operative position of the wiping element, and means to hold the wiping element yieldingly in its operative position, whereby the wiping means is movable in one direction relatively to the side plates when in use and is movable with the side plates as a unit in the opposite-direction when not in use.

2. In a typographical casting machine, the com bination of a cam shaft, a metal pot movable relatively to the cam shaft into and out of casting position and having a mold engaging mouthpiece, acam element on the cam shaft for effecting the movement of the metal pot, mouthpiece wiping mechanismincluding a wiping element normally standing above the mouthpiece and a carrier therefor adapted to be actuated to move the wiping element across the mold engaging surface of the mouthpiece, the wiping mechanism being movable with the metal pot, a spring for actuating the carrier to move the wiping element downward across the mouthpiece, a vertical slide bar opposing the action of the spring, and a cam element on the cam shaft for controlling the movement of the slide bar to permit the actuation of formed to permit the movement of the carrier relatively thereto along with the metal pot while invention, what I hold the wiping element in its normal position.

3. A combination according to claim 2, wherein the cam element associated with the slide bar is formed to control the actuation of the carriage in timed relation to the movement of the metal pot so that the wiping operation takes place justprior to the movement of the metal pot into casting position. 3 1 i i a 4. A metal pot mouthpiece wiping mechanism comprising a wiping element, an actuatingcarrier therefor,a resilient mounting for the wiping element permitting it to yield in one direction with reference to the carrier in performing its wiping stroke, and a, second resilientmounting for the wiping element permitting it to yield in'the opposite direction with reference to the carrier to assume a non-wiping position for safety purposes.

5. A metal pot mouthpiece wiping mechanism comprising a wiping element, an actuating carrier A therefor, a resilient mounting for the wiping e1ement permitting it to yield in one direction with reference to the carrier in performing its wiping stroke, a pivotal support for the wiping element and its resilient mounting, a stop to engage said support and hold the wiping element in its: normal wiping position, and a spring connected to the pivotal support to hold it against said stop, said spring permitting the support to yield with reference to the carrier to allow the wiping element to assume a non-wiping position for safety purposes.

JAMES C. PLASTARAS. 

